Pitt himself is a super-hero reminiscent of Doc Savage and other characters from pulp magazines.Ĭussler had seventeen consecutive titles listed on The New York Times fiction best seller list. The Pitt novels, in particular, have the improbable quality of the James Bond or Indiana Jones movies, while also sometimes borrowing from Alistair MacLean's novels.

Where Crichton strove for scrupulous realism, however, Cussler prefers fantastic spectacles and outlandish plot devices. Often in the first chapter, a ship or airplane carrying a top-secret, important, or dangerous cargo is lost and never found, until it is recovered by a modern character later in the book.Ĭussler's novels, like those of Michael Crichton, are examples of techno-thrillers that do not use military plots and settings. This is almost always in the form of a long-lost artifact that is important to the villain's or hero's objectives. These contain none of the novel's main characters and often seem disconnected from the plot until the main characters discover a mystery or secret relating the events of the first chapter to the rest of the story. The third, Raise the Titanic!, made Cussler's reputation and established the pattern that subsequent Pitt novels would follow: a blend of adventure and advanced technology, generally involving megalomaniacal villains, lost ships, beautiful women, and sunken treasure.Ĭussler's novels almost always begin with a chapter set in the past. The first two Pitt novels, The Mediterranean Caper and Iceberg, were relatively conventional maritime thrillers. The Dirk Pitt novels frequently have an alternative history premise-such as 'what if Atlantis were real?' or 'what if Abraham Lincoln wasn't assassinated but was kidnapped?' His most famous character is marine engineer, government agent and adventurer Dirk Pitt. After making dinner for the children and putting them to bed, he had no one to talk to and nothing much to do, so he decided to start writing. Literary career Ĭlive Cussler began writing in 1965 when his wife took a job working nights for the local police department where they lived in California. Ĭussler was a fellow of the Explorers Club of New York, the Royal Geographical Society in London, and the American Society of Oceanographers. Navy Memorial Foundation for his efforts concerning marine exploration. In 2002, Cussler was awarded the Naval Heritage Award from the U.S. This was the first time in the college's 123-year history that such a degree had been awarded. Īfter the publication in 1996 of Cussler's first nonfiction work, The Sea Hunters, he was awarded a Doctor of Letters degree in 1997 by the Board of Governors of the State University of New York Maritime College who accepted the work in lieu of a Ph.D. As part of his duties, Cussler produced radio and television commercials, many of which won international awards including an award at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Career Īfter his discharge from the military, Cussler went to work for the advertising industry, first as a copywriter and later as a creative director for two of the nation's most successful advertising agencies. During his service with the Air Force, he was promoted to sergeant and worked as an aircraft mechanic and flight engineer for the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). He attended Pasadena City College for two years and then enlisted in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. He was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout when he was 14 years old. Furthermore, one of Cussler's uncles served in the Imperial German Air Service and became a flying ace, shooting down 14 Allied aeroplanes. In his memoir The Sea Hunters: True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks, Cussler revealed that his father served in the Imperial German Army on the Western Front during World War I. His father was from Germany and his mother's ancestors were from England. His novels have inspired various other works of fiction.Ĭlive Cussler was born in Aurora, Illinois, the son of Eric Edward Cussler and Amy Adeline (née Hunnewell), and grew up in Alhambra, California. He was the sole author or main author of more than 80 books. Cussler was the founder and chairman of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), which has discovered more than 60 shipwreck sites and numerous other notable underwater wrecks. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have been listed on The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than 20 times.

Clive Eric Cussler (J– February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer.

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